Homecoming 2009!

Last Friday night, The Conservatory celebrated our first in what we hope will be many annual Homecoming Night's! Now, you may be thinking to yourself: "How can a school without a football team have a homecoming?", well, we've got our ways...

The evening started with a great meet and greet where our current students and alumni mixed it up, sharing war-stories from the front-line of their rigorous Conservatory training, sharing stories about their rehearsal projects, and networking for projects current and future that each could be involved in.

And then the real fun started. You see, unlike all those boring high-school and college homecomings where Homecoming was just a popularity contest, at The Conservatory, you have to earn it. Our 9 competitors fought it out through three rounds of Theater games, from Trivia ("Who wants to be Homecoming Royalty"), through Pictionary ("Theatrical Design"), and Charades ("Mime!"). In the end, broken and exhausted, Andre McCarther and Sarah Pullen, both only in their first semester, were crowned King and Queen of the Conservatory.

Congratulations to them both, and thanks everyone for a rousing good time at the ol' NCDA. We hope to see you all at our next party! Opening night of "The Heidi Chronicles" on Friday, October 2.

Auditioning and Acting – Similar, NOT the Same

Some novice actors believe that what they really need is to learn to audition and that will make them an actor. Yikes!

The first problem with that notion is that acting and auditioning are very different things. Choices an actor makes in preparing a monologue for an audition are rarely if ever the same choices she would make if actually rehearsing for a full production of that same play. Why? The given circumstances are completely different. In an audition the actor stands alone, on a bare stage or rehearsal studio talking to thin air. In the play there will be other characters, and other production elements that will necessarily change those choices. So, a coach can help you prep a monologue to perfection - but he or she can't come to rehearsal with you if you get the part. You'll be on your own in the moment with other actors and an artistic team who expect you to be able to engage in the process.

Preparing a monologue for an audition - typically material of two minutes max - is relatively easy (if you know how). Preparing to play this same character for an entire production is not at all easy. It takes analysis, process and practice - especially if the actor actually wants to enjoy the process. If you can audition well enough to get the part but don't have the skills to actually engage in the process it will be a nightmarish process at best, and at worst, you'll get fired.

And remember for most auditions the monologue only gets you a callback - not the part.

Acting is a profession like any other and you should give yourself the space to learn - it will make you a more competitive actor!